Shipwreck at Garganta do Diabo: what is known about the accident

The disappearance of two people after the sinking of a vessel in Garganta do Diabo, a region between Ilha Porchat and Praia de Paranapuã, in São Vicente, coast of São Paulo, on the night of last Sunday (29), has been the reason for searches incessant.

The searches began on Sunday night, around 7:18 pm, when the Fire Department was called by residents, who identified a small vessel sinking. Inside were seven people. It is not known whether they were wearing life jackets.

One of the people who survived told, on social media, how he managed to save himself. “It was complete despair, I don’t know how to swim and the waves were very strong,” said Camila Alves.

There is still no information about the causes of the accident. The civil police are investigating the case. The searches resumed this Tuesday morning (1).

On social media, the image of the wreckage of the ship that sank was reproduced. Look .

First rescues

The vessel carried seven people, five women and two men. According to firefighters, five people were rescued in the first two hours after the sinking. Of these, two men and three women were rescued.

According to the Marine Fire Brigade (GBMar), the survivors reported that they were two women who broke away from the group at the time of the sinking. It is not known whether they were wearing life jackets.

The Mobile Emergency Care Service (Samu) transported the first rescued. The three women and one of the men were taken to the São Vicente Central Emergency Room and have already been discharged. The other rescued required medical attention.

A video recorded by a city resident, who was at the scene, recorded the movement while the victims were being treated.

Watch the video :

(Reproduction/New and Used Furniture Store Pepe)

Searches continue

The search for the missing began shortly after the incident, and resumed on Monday morning (30), to try to locate both victims who remain missing.

THE CNN spoke to GBMar, this Tuesday (1), who confirmed the continuation of the search for the two missing women after the sinking of a small vessel in São Vicente, on the coast of São Paulo.

The region where the vessel sank, called “Devil’s Throat”, is considered dangerous due to the strong currents and waves in the sea, resulting in numerous drownings.

Accident location

A narrowing at the entrance to São Vicente Bay is the natural construction that gave rise to the so-called Devil’s Throat, characterized by being a type of crack.

The region is influenced by currents that come from the south and advance across the bay with force. High waves are formed by excess sediment deposition in this area. The Devil’s Throat is positioned between Porchat Island and the Xixová-Japuí State Park, functioning as the entrance to São Vicente Bay, and providing access to places such as Gonzaguinha beach and the Pênsil Bridge.

In a statement to CNN, Pedro Felipe Costa Pedroza Martins, 1st Lieutenant of the Military Police and spokesperson for GBMar, explained that the place has shallow parts, also favoring the emergence of waves of high heights, which can reach a height of up to 4 meters .

When firefighters received the call to respond to the incident, the height of the waves was 1.5 meters.

“It is a considerable height and easily capable of capsizing a vessel,” says Martins.

The dangers and risks that this region can cause contributed to the region’s nickname, says Lieutenant Pedro Felipe Costa Pedroza Martins, from GBMar.

“The name Garganta do Diabo is due to these conditions. Navigation is difficult and access to São Vicente Bay requires some peculiarities. It’s not simple navigation to do,” he adds.

See image of the location

This content was originally published in Shipwreck at the Devil’s Throat: what is known about the accident on the CNN Brasil website.

Source: CNN Brasil